Driving axle construction



1938- T. v. BUCKWALTER ET AL 2,126,613

DRIVING AXLE CONSTRUC'I IO N Original Filed Dec. 1, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheetl 3nventom 1 T v. Wq 32L mm r r U wwgatarsw s- 1938. T. v. BUCKWALTER ElAL 2,126,613

DRIVING AXLE CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Dec. 1, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 43nventorg; a 52 WVMM+ 7 \W I w 1 W5 Wuttorncgg Aug. 9, 1938. 1'. v.BUCKWALTER El AL 2,126,513

DRIVING AXLE CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Dec. 1, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 3Bnvcntorsj 2g Nd 3a Patented Aug. 9, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEDRIVING AXLE CONSTRUCTION Ohio Original application December 1, 1933,Serial No.

700,464.- Patent N0. 2,089,016.

Divided and this application January 9, 1937, Serial No.

3 Claims.

The subject matter hereof is divided out of our pending applicationSerial No. 700,464 filed December 1, 1933, for patent for Driving axleconstruction, now Patent No. 2,089,016.

This invention relates to driving axle constructions of gearedlocomotives or other selfpropelled vehicles wherein the axle is driventhrough an enclosed driving gear unit supported thereon. It has for itsprincipal objects to provide for resisting torque reactions imposed onsaid drive gear unit and to provide for simplicity and cheapness ofconstruction and compactness of design. The invention consists in thedriving axle construction, and in the combinations and arrangements ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, andwherein like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur- Fig. 1 isa plan view of a driving axle construction embodying our invention,

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1 through theaxle, showing the driving gear unit in end elevation,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the driving gear unit, the sectionbeing taken longitudinally of the drive shaft on the line 3-3 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the driving gear unit, the sectionbeing taken longitudinally of the axle on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a part plan and part horizontal sectional view of said unit,

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross-section on the line 6--6 in Fig. 4,

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary plan view showing the connection between one ofthe torque rods and the casing of the gear unit,

Fig. 8 is a vertical section on the line 8-8 in Fig. 7,

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the connection betweenthe torque rod and the truck bolster; and

Fig. 10 is a vertical longitudinal section on the line Ill-40 in Fig. 9.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, our

driving mechanism for said axle. Said driving mechanism comprises a maindrive shaft 4 that is disposed transversely of and offset verticallyfrom the axle i and is operatively connected to said axle by gearing,preferably skew or hypoid bevel gearing, comprising a drive gear orpinion 5 press-fitted on said drive shaft and intermeshing with a largedriven gear press-fitted on said axle.

The drive shaft 4 is preferably located above the axle I and extendsthrough the housing A with one end journaled in a double taper rollerbearing mounted in an opening I provided therefor in the adjacent sidewall of said housing. Said double taper roller bearing comprises twoseries of conical bearing rollers 8, a conical inner raceway member 9for each series of rollers and a doubly coned cup or outer racewaymember In for both series of rollers that has a loose fit in the openingI provided therefor in the housing A. The two cones 9 are press-fittedon the drive shaft 4 with the inner cone disposed in abutting relationto a shoulder provided therefor on said shaft, with a spacing ring llinterposed between the adjacent ends of said cones and with a suitableoil seal or baflle plate l2 interposed between the outer end of theouter coneand the inner end of the hub l3 of a suitable universal jointmember. The outer end of the bearing receiving opening 1 is closed bymeans of an annular closure plate H, which snugly fits the hub I3 of theuniversal joint and is removably secured to the housing by means of capscrews IS.

The bevel pinion 5 is located near the opposite end of the drive shaft;and the portion of the housing A adjacent to said opening is enlarged,as at l6, to accommodate said pinion. The housing is provided in thewall opposite the wall containing the bearing receiving opening 1 withan opening I1 through which the drive shaft, the bearings therefor andthe pinion thereon may be inserted in and removed from said housing. Theopening I! is closed by an annular closure plate [8 that is removablysecured to said housing by means of cap screws Ill. The annular closureplate l8 snugly fits the hub 20 of a suitable universal joint membersimilar to the universal member l3 at the opposite end of the driveshaft.

The drive shaft 4 is supported in the housing A at the opposite ends ofthe bevel pinion 5 thereon by means of taper roller bearings which serveto take care of radial and end thrust loads a conical cup or outerbearing member 2| seated in an opening provided therefor in a bracket 22that depends from the housing adjacent to the inner end of the pinion 5,a cone or inner bearing member 23 press-fitted on the shaft 4 inabutting relation to said pinion and conical bearing rollers 24interposed between said cup and said cone. The bearing is adjusted bymeans of an annular plate or washer 25 interposed between the large endof the cup 2| and an annular shoulder on the bearing supporting bracket22.

The bearing at the outer end of the pinion 5 comprises a conical cup orouter bearing member 26 seated in an annular recess provided therefor inthe end closure member II, a cone or inner bearing member 21press-fitted on the drive shaft 4 in abutting relation to the outer endof said pinion and a series of conical bearing rollers 23 interposedbetween said cup and said cone. This bearing is adjusted by means of anannular plate or washer 29 interposed between the outer end of thebearing cup and a shoulder formed by the cup receiving recess in theclosure member l8. An annular oil retaining plate 30 is secured to theinner face of the closure member in overlapping relation to the innerends of the cup and bearing rollers; and an annular oil retaining plateor baiile 30a is sleeved on the shaft 4 between the cone and the hub 20of the universal joint member.

Interposed between the axle I and the openings 3| provided therefor inthe housing or casing A are antifriction bearings, preferably taperroller bearings. Each of said bearings comprises a conical cup or outerbearing member 32 removably mounted in the axle receiving opening 3 I, acone or inner bearing member 33 press-fitted on the axle in abuttingrelation to the hub of the large bevel gear 6 thereon and a series ofconical bearing rollers 34 interposed between said cup and said cone.Each axle receiving opening 3| is closed by means of an annular closureplate 35 that is removably secured by cap screws 36 to the end wall ofthe housing. Each bearing is adjusted by means of a series of thin shims31 interposed between the closure member 35 and the end of the housing.The closure member 35 snugly fits the axle and an annular oil seal orbaffle plate 31a is mounted on said axle between the outer end of thebearing cone and the adjacent face of said closure member.

In order to permit assembly, disassembly and inspection of the parts,the housing A is made in two sections, an upper or main section 33 and alower cap or cover section 33. The upper housing section 33 encloses andsupports the drive shaft, its bearings and its bevel pinion, whereby allof these parts are removable from the axle with said upper housingsection as a unit. The upper or main section 33 includes the greaterportion of the entire housing A and is provided with an opening disposedentirely below the axle axis; and the lower section 39 constitutes a capor cover for said opening. The main and the cover section havecomplementary arcuate seats in their end walls that together constitutethe openings 3| for the cups 32 of the bearings that support the housingon the axle. The gaps between the ends of the arcuate seats of the mainhousing section 33 must be large enough to per mit the housingsupporting bearings without their cups 32 to pass therethrough. In theparticular form illustrated, the abutting faces of the main and coversections of the housing are provided with cooperating flanges that aresecured together by bolts 33a; and said flanges extend along divergingradial lines, whereby the cover section has the form of a sector of saidhousing. By this arrangement, when it is desired to remove the upperhousing section 38 from the axle, the sector-shaped lower cover section39 is removed, the end closure members 35 for the housing supportingbearings are detached from the housing, and the cups 32 of said bearingsare then removed endwise from the openings 3|, thereby permitting theupper section,together with the entire mechanism therein, to be liftedoff the axle due to the gaps left in the lower portion of the bearingreceiving openings 3| by the removal of the cups 32 therefrom and theremoval of the sector-shaped lower cap section 39 of said housing fromthe upper section 38 thereof.

Torque reactions imposed on the housing are resisted by a pair ofvertically spaced parallel torque rods 40 that connect one end of thehousing A with the cross frame member or bolster 2 of the truck aboveand below the axle axis. The torque rods are connected by suitableuniversal joints with the axle housing and the truck bolster. Theconnection between each torque rod 40 and the housing A comprises ablock 4| interposed between the vertically spaced branches of a yoke 42,which is formed in the adjacent end of said rod and is looselyinterposed between a pair of vertically disposed horizontally spacedlugs 43 on said housing. The block 42 is pivotally secured to the lugs43 for vertical swinging movement therebetween by means of a horizontalpin 44; and the torque rod is pivotally secured to said block forhorizontal swinging movement by means of a pin 45 disposed at rightangles to the pin 44. The connection between the other end of eachtorque rod 40 and the truck bolster 2 comprises a block 41 secured bymeans of an upright pin 48 between the vertically spaced branches of ayoke 49 formed on said end of said rod, and an extension of said rod inthe form of a rod 50 provided with a yoke 5| whose horizontally spacedbranches loosely straddle the yoke 49 and the block 4! and are securedto the latter by a horizontal pin 52. The torque rod extension 50extends through a box 53 that is bolted or otherwise removably securedto laterally extending lugs 54 that project from the side of the bolster2. Sleeved on the torque rod extension 50 between a pair of collars 55sleeved thereon is a coil spring 56, the pressure of which may beregulated by means of a nut 51 on the end of said extension. The coilspring 56, together with the collars 55 at the opposite ends thereof,are enclosed within the box 53 with said collars bearing againstshoulders provided therefor adjacent to the rod receiving openings atthe opposite ends of said box. By the arrangement described, the rodsoperate 'to yieldably resist torque reactions imposed on the housing ofthe driving gear unit, the springs tending to absorb such reactions andcushion the shock. The pivotal connections between the torque rods andthe bolster and housing permit limited relative movement of said housingand bolster in both horizontal and vertical directions; and said torquerods act after the manner of parallel links to resist tilting of thehousing during the vertical movement thereof.

The hereinbefore described driving gear unit has numerous advantages. Itprovides a housing for all of the driving mechanism; it permits thedrive shaft, the drive pinion thereon and the bearings therefor to bequickly and easily removed from the axle without dismountin'g theseparts from the housing; and it permits the drive shaft, the pinion, thedouble taper bearing and the cones and rollers of the two singlebearings to be removed from the housing as a unit. The use of thehyperboloidal bevel gear driving connection between the drive shaft andthe axle enables said shaft to clear said axle; and the torque rodconnections between the housing and the truck frame operate to yieldablyresist and cushion the torque reactions on the housing and, at the sametime, permit limited vertical and horizontal movement of the housingwith the axle. The placing of the torque rods above and below the axleserves to balance the forces in said rods and thus relieves the axle ofbending stresses which cause objectionable pressure on the outboardjournal or driving boxes. Such spacing of the torque rods also preventsendwise tilting of the drive shaft when relative vertical movementoccurs between the frame and axle, thereby avoiding fluctuations in therotative motion of said drive shaft. The cushion connections between theframe and the torque rods serve not only to absorb shock therebetween,but they also tend to equalize the distribution of the power between thedrive shafts of a plurality of driving units.

Obviously, the hereinbefore described construction admits ofconsiderable modification without departing from the invention.Therefore, we do not wish to be limited to the precise arrangement shownand described.

What we claim is:

1. A driving axle construction comprising an axle, a gear housing,roller bearings supporting said gear housing on said axle, a framemember located adjacent to said axle, a pair of vertically spacedsubstantially parallel torque rods connecting said gear housing withsaid frame memher above and below said axle, universal jointsconnecting. said rods with said gear housing, torque rod extensionsmounted for axial movement on said frame member, and universal jointconnections between said torque rods and said axially movableextensions.

-2. A driving axle construction comprising a wheeled axle, a drivinggear unit mounted on said axle between the wheels thereof, said drivinggear unit comprising a housing, roller bearings supporting said housingon said axle, a drive shaft disposed in said housing crosswise of saidaxle, gearing connectingsaid drive shaft to said axle, a frame memberlocated adjacent to said axle, a pair of vertically spaced substantiallyparallel torque rods connecting said housing with said frame memberabove and below said axle, universal joints connecting said rods withsaid housing, extensions for said rods mounted for axial movement onsaid frame member, universal joints connecting said rods and saidextensions, and means for yeildably resisting the axial movement of saidextensions.

3. A driving axle construction comprising an axle, a gear housingmounted on said axle, roller bearings supporting said housing on saidaxle, a frame member located adjacent to said axle, a pair of spacedparallel torque rods connecting said gear housing with said frame memberabove and below the axle axis, a universal joint connection between oneend of each torque rod and said gear housing, an extension for the otherend of each torque rod slidably mounted in said frame member, universaljoint connections between said torque rods and the extensions therefor,stop collars on said extensions, and coil springs sleeved on saidextensions between said stop collars.

TRACY V. BUCKWALTER. JOEL HEKTNER.

